Butter conditioner



R. J. CARBARY BUTTER CONDITIONER Fildd Aug. 26, 1949 Oct. l0, 1950 "d cl Carbar,

- Inv etor Ri ch a1 His tGo1^T1eg.

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Patented Oct. 10, 1950 BUTTER CONDITIONER Richard J. Carbary, Erle, Pa., assigner to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application August 26, 1949, Serial No. 112,620

3 Claims.

This invention relates to household refrigerators and, in particular, to butter conditioners installed in doors of refrigerators.

Many domestic refrigerators are built with compartments in the doors thereof for maintaining butter at a predetermined temperature. The butter compartments are usually electrically heated to maintain a temperature that is controlled by a variable setting thermostat. Problerms arise, however, in the installation of these units in refrigerators and in preventing the butter from being tipped within or dislodged from the compartment when the door is slammed.

It is an object of this invention to provide a butter conditioning apparatus that is easily mounted within a refrigerator door.

It is a further object of this invention to Iprovide a -butter conditioner that prevents the tilting of butter therein, and the dislodgement of the butter therefrom when the refrigerator door is slammed.

These, andiother objects and advantages of this invention, will become apparent and the invention will be better understood from the following description referring to the accompanying.

butter at a predetermined temperature and has` a cover arrangement that prevents the tilting of butter in or the dislodgement of butter from the compartment when the door is slammed.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is an elevation view of y the upper interior of a refrigerator having an open door and showing an evaporator unit mounted within and a butter conditioner located in the door of the refrigerator; Fig. 2 is a front view, partly in section, showing the butter conditioner located-within a refrigerator door panel; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 of the subject butter conditioner mounted on the inner panel of a. refrigerator door; while Fig. 4 is a sectional end view along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing,.a refrigerator I is provided with an evaporator unit 2, and a door 3 with a butter conditioner 4 therein. The butter conditioner l (as shown particularly in Fig. 3) comprises a frame member 5, a compartment housing or container 6, a. door or cover 1 and an outer frame 8.

The frame 5 is riveted, or otherwise secured, to inner panel 9 of door I of refrigerator Frame 5 is a substantially rectangular member made of angle iron or the like and having on each end a flange portion |0 which extends perpendicular to the plane of the frame member. The flange members are securely fastened to frame 5 at points and I2 in any suitable manner, such as by welding. Each flange comprises l a U-shaped member Il having side portions Il and I5. A slotted opening (Fig. 4) is positioned in the end I6 of the U-shaped portion. Opening Il is of a width great enough to accommodate a stud Il, the function of which will be hereinafter described.

The container 6 is a substantially rectangular box-shaped housing having an open side which is covered by the door l. Container 8 is primarily supported by stud i8. which fastens container 8 to flange I0 and thus to frame member 5. Container i is iltted into a recess in the door of the refrigerator'. The container is further secured to frame 8 by a plurality of screws I9.

Door l of the-butter compartment comprises ai face portion 20 and a pair of flange portions 2|. Face portion 20 is shaped so that when the door is revolved about an'axis on its flanges, it moves upwardly and rearwardly into container 6.

Flange portions 2| of door l extend from face 20 of the door a distance greater than half the depth of the container 6. Although ilange-portions 2| are of a generally triangular shape, they are provided with a flat portion 22 which, in' the closed position, is located slightly above matching lips 23 on a butter dish 24 in a manner that prevents the butter dish from tipping when the door is slammed.

Door fianges 2| are each provided with an elongated bearing opening 25, the elongation being at any convenient angle above the horizontal. For the purposes of this disclosure, the elongation will be considered as beingat/45" above the horizontal-an angle that has worked satisfactorily. The door can thus be moved into the container at a 45 degree angle until edge 26 of the elongated opening 25 strikes against stud I8, whereupon door l may be rotated up into container 6 for access to the butter. Flanges 2| are also provided with openings 2l in which there are further recessed openings 28. Pins 29, positioned on each end of container 6, operatively engage the recess openings 28 in the flange portions 2| to hold the door l closed. Each recessed opening 28 extends on a 45 degree angle, or in alignment with opening 25 in the flange portion 2|. Assuming the door is in the closed position, it has to be pushed at a 45 degree angle upwardly and rearwardly into container 6 before pin 29 is disengaged from the recessed opening-2B. The door is then free to rotate about its axis 25 up into container B. When the door is 'closed and pin 28 engages recessed opening 2B,

a locking arrangement is provided which pre- .vents the door 'I from moving unintentionally to an open position when the door 3 of the refrigerator is slammed.

Flat portions 22 of flange member 2| are shaped to allow door 'I to be freely rotated without engagement of the dat portions 22 with cooperating lips 23 on butter dish 24. The ilat portions 22, however. prevent any substantial tilting of the butter dish 24, since as soon as the butter dish starts to tilt, lips 23 'thereof engage flat portions 22 to limit tilting. This arrangement provides stable housing of butter dish 24 within a butter conditioner 4 in a refrigerator door.

Beneath container 6, a heating unit 3D is supported by a spring strap 3| which is mounted on a portion of studs I8. Heating unit 30 is regulated by a knob 33, controlling a variable setting thermostat (not shown).

Studs I8 are an aid to simple assembly and installation of the butter container within the refrigerator door. Studs lI8 comprise a threaded portion 34, a flange portion 35 and a smooth bearing portion 36. The combination of the iiange portion 35, threaded portion 34 and an engaging nut 31 secureccontainer 6 and strap 3| of the heater to flange portion I extending from frame member 5. Studs` I3 conveniently secure the main component parts of the butter compartment permitting the assembly to be installed as a unit into the recessed compartment of the refrigerator door. Slots in anges 2| of cover 'I are positioned over the smooth bearing portions 36 of studs I8. The flanges 2|, being resilient, move outwardly against the flange positions 35 of studs I8 to rotatably mount cover 'I on bearing portions` 36.

To obtain access to butter within the compartment, door 1 is pushed inwardly and upwardly at an approximately 45 degree angle until the recessed opening 28 is disengaged from pin 29 on the housing 6. The inward and upward movement of door 'I causes opening 25 to move in respect to bearing portion 36 of stud I8 until sides 26 engage the stud. The door 'I is then revolved about bearing portions 36 until the face 20 slides up inside the container 6 of the butter conditioner. In the open position of the door, flange portions 2| occupy the position shown by the dot and dash lines in Fig. 4. Butter dish 24 may then be removed easily from container 6.

When the butter has been replaced into the compartment 6, door 1 is revolved again about bearing portions 36 until it reaches its normally closed position, whereupon the door falls downwardly at a 45 degree angle until the recessed portions 28 engage pins 29. The door of the butter conditioner is then locked in a manner that prevents the door from coming open accidentally when the refrigerator door 3 is moved, and at surfaces 22 of anges 2| are in near engagement with lips 23 of butter dish 24 to prevent excessive tilting when door 3 of the refrigerator is slammed.

Modifications of this invention will occur to those skilled in the art and it is desired to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular arrangement disclosed, but that the appended claims are meant to cover all the modifications which are within the spirit and scope of this invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An arrangement for facilitating the installation of a butter conditioner within a refrigerator door, said arrangement comprising means defining a butter compartment having end walls and an access opening, a rotatable cover for said access opening, said cover including flanges parallel to said end walls. a heater assembly including a mounting strap, a frame member secured to said refrigerator door, said frame member including portions extending parallel to said end walls of said compartment and being adjacent thereto, and means including bearing portions for securing said compartment and walls and said heater strap to said frame member extending portions, said bearing portions rotatably supporting said anges of said cover.

2. In a refrigerator door having a butter conditionertherein, an arrangement for preventing excessive tilting of the contents within said butter conditioner, said arrangement comprising a compartment including a bottom and end walls and having an access opening therein, a butter dish having lips extending parallel to said bottom of said compartment, a revolvable cover for said access opening, said revolvable cover having parallel ange members extending perpendicularly from the ends thereof into said compartment and adjacent said end walls thereof, each of said cover ange members including a portion positioned in proximate parallel spaced relationship with said lips on said butter dish when said cover is in its closed position.

3. In a refrigerator door having a butter conditioner mounted therein, means defining a butter compartment having end walls and an access opening; a rotatable cover for said access opening, means for locking said cover in its closed position to prevent accidental opening of said cover and dislodgement'of the contents of said Y compartment, said cover locking means comprisling parallel flange members extending perpendicularly from said cover into said compartment and adjacent said end walls thereof, means including bearing portions for revolvably supporting said cover, each of said parallel flange members having an opening therein, said openings extending from thev bottom edge of said flange members inwardly therefrom and including a portion extending upwardly toward said bearing portion, a pin extending from each of said compartment end walls engageable with said openings in said cover flange members, each of said cover flange members having a second opening, said second openings being in engagement with saidv bearing portion and having a major and a minor axis with said major axis in alignment with said upwardly extending portion of said first opening, said second openings permitting said cover to fall downwardly and outwardly along said major axis of said second openings when, said cover is in its closed position whereby said upwardly extending portions of said first openings in said cover flange members engage said pins extending from said compartment end walls to lock said cover in its closed position.

RICHARD J. CARBARY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

